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SunFest lineup: Great! But where are the ladies?

I am digging on this year’s SunFest lineup. For real. I don’t want to start out on a negative. I love Train. Adore them. Phil Phillips is the best American Idol winner in some time, with an actual hit. Jimmy Cliff is instant cool. Boz Scaggs is the man. Smashing Pumpkins is back, as are The Offspring, meaning that the ’90s continue not to go anywhere, and that’s OK with me, because I was really cute in the ’90s.

But…

Besides the band Barenaked Ladies, which is actually full of Canadian men, there is only one actual lady among the headliners on the lineup – Nicole Fiorentino of The Smashing Pumpkins, who mostly seems to try to stay out of the way of Billy Corgan’s ego.

OK, so at least not any that I recognize. Of course, there could be a woman or two in one of the lesser known bands — and if there are, and that is true, I am not trying to negate the existence of those women, and I’m sorry.
Having said that … I know a lot of the schedule is about timing, and that you can only get who is available — SunFest executive director Paul Jamieson confirmed that they didn’t want to fill the lineup with a mediocre act they could get as opposed to getting the best lineup possible. It’s better to get a good lineup than to cast that lineup for demographics just to say that you fulfilled those demographics.

But we’re 50 percent of the population. I’m sure there was somebody out there. Right? Heck … I sing somewhat. If Train needs a middle-aged woman to sing harmony on “Drops Of Jupiter,” I’m into it. I’ll be watching that phone.

Moving on…

Here’s your day-by-day breakdown:

 Wednesday: Your headliners for the opening day include The Smashing Pumpkins, who perfectly crystallized the ’90s with their experimental musicality, sharply emotional lyrics and videos that made you go “What just happened here?” and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, a ten-musician troupe based on a story by lead singer Alex Ebert about a messianic figure who would save mankind if he wasn’t distracted by girls. That’s kinda awesome. Also on the list: Shatterglass, Roadkill Ghost Choir, and AAN.

 Thursday: Train, who is back in the atmosphere with drops of Jupiter … you know the song. You know all about their catchy pop songs of run-on cultural references that don’t seem to fit but culminate in a sweeping chorus so ear-wormy that you can’t stop singing it, even when you want to. Such is their genius. Also playing: Rapper Big Sean, Breeze Davinci and The Curve, featuring SunFest favorite Mike Sanchez. He’s been in so many bands, I think he used to be the lead singer of Train. Love him.

 Friday: Oh, this night’s an embarrassment of riches right here. You’ve got headliners Ed Sheeran, who’s so hot right now, Gary Clark, Jr., equally scorching, The Offspring, part of the inevitable ’90s onslaught, Black Crowes (ditto) and Yellowcard. There’s gonna be a lot of foot traffic between those shows. I guarantee it.

 Saturday: SunFest chief Paul Jamieson is very, very psyched about Life In Color, a traveling electronic music festival within itself, full of paint, DJs, dancing and excitement. If you don’t want to be covered in paint, don’t go. Also grooving: Dickey Betts and Great Southern, Molly Hatchet, Cheap Trick and Phillip Phillips, who makes me smile because he’s an “American Idol” winner that didn’t need to be given a personality or a style. He knew who he was.

 Sunday: I used to sing occasional backup for a band back in Pennsylvania who knew so many Barenaked Ladies songs, they briefly considered being a BNL cover band. Didn’t happen, but that’s how many hits they had. And they’re still going. Love a quirky Canadian band.

Also…the legendary Jimmy Cliff, rapper Mac Miller, ska-punk journeymen Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake, Boz Scaggs, very hot rapper Kendrick Lamar and the always awesome Gavin DeGraw, whom I have a very funny story about I might tell you if you care. You might not. Ask me at SunFest, because I’ll be there every single day. Not covered in paint.

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